Everything you need to know for your trip to Fernando de Noronha
Fernando de Noronha is part of the island group that is about 360 km or 225 miles northeast of Cape São Roque. It’s surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and is formed by volcanic rocks. The main island is the only island that is inhabitable. It is one of the most visited Islands of Brazil and no wonder why, the island is incredibly beautiful. It is great for surfers and people who love to snorkel or dive. Two of the five turtle species can be found here and even if you haven’t snorkeled much you can see lots and lots of sea life here.
How to get there
There are two ways you can get to the island. The first option is if you own a boat (or know someone who has one). But to be honest this is not really an option for most people. The second option is how most people come; by plane. You can come from Recife or Natal. Latam and Azul are the two airlines that fly to Fernando. It can be quite expensive to get there so check the prices well before you book. I really wanted to go and I decided what my maximum budget was for the plane and I was lucky to have found a ticket within it. The plane is small and the airport on the island is also small. But they do have some shops and a couple of little restaurants.
How to enter and paying taxes
Onceyou have left the airplane you walk to the airport hall and you will need to register and pay the island taxes. You will let them know when your flight back is and according to the amount of days you are staying you will need to pay taxes. The taxes are an Environmental Preservation fee to stay at the island. It’s very important to keep your document that you get safe and ready for when you fly back. They will ask for it when you leave. The taxes are $R 97,16 per day, as of the writing of this blog. You can get it online but I found it too complicated. I was a bit scared to get it there because I was afraid I had to wait forever but the process went smoothly and it only took 20 minutes of waiting. Once you have your document you can enter the island.
How to get to your accommodation and move around on the island
There are a couple of options you can choose to move around on the island. The first option is to get a taxi. Especially if you have just arrived it’s easy to take a taxi. They have a system where they calculate how far away they will take you and that way you will get a fair price across the board. One ride will be between $R 20-50,- It is a bit more expensive than on the mainland but that’s expected. Cars need to be transported by boat to the island making it more expensive. Some drivers give their number so that you can contact them. That was actually very convenient because some days I wanted to go back from a place where there weren’t a lot of taxis available. In those cases I could contact them and ask if they were available. Please be aware that most people don’t speak English or if they do, it most likely is not very good.
You can also rent a car. You can rent a car or a beach buggy, if you have a driver’s license of course. You can do it online (but it’s not the most easy option) and have them place it at the parking lot of the airport. But most people go to one of the many rental places to get everything in order before cruising on the island.
A very popular option is to take the bus. There is a bus service going around the island. And it’s $R5,- for a one way ticket. Prices can change of course, but this was the price in 2024. They will go every half an hour and to be honest nobody knows the times exactly. Because of that I hardly used it, because most times I was just too tired to wait for it. If you are on a budget and you don’t mind waiting it is a good option.
Bikes and motorcycles; you can rent other vehicles too. Please be aware of the fact that the roads can be very steep and if you just had a tropical rain it can be very slippery. There are lots of options and rental places, most of them in the little town.
Entrance fee to the national park and where to buy it
More than half of the island is part of a National Park. That means that it is a protected area and that you need to buy a park ticket. Some beaches and trails are only accessible if you show them your card. There are different PIC centers (information centers) across the island where you can buy the card. These PIC points are where you enter a certain area and sometimes they have a shop or restaurant attached. I do advise you to go to the main PIC center close to the Tamar project. There are two reasons why it’s the best for you to buy it there. Number one; it is close to the Tamar Project, where you can learn about turtles from Brazil and reason two is because you can arrange the island trails here. These are trails you can only do by registering. I’ll explain more in the next section. The card for entering the National Park is R$ 179,00 for Brazilians and R$ 358,00 for non-Brazilians. Even if you have a residency card you still pay the non-Brazilian fee. You can use the card for 10 days.
Trails you need to register for on the island
There are some amazing trails you can do on the island. Some of the trilhas are free but others you need to pay for. The paid trails have a guide that comes along with you and explains a bit more about the trail and the wildlife. You can only do these trails with a registration. If you don’t register you will be sent away from the starting point. You can only arrange your trails at the main PIC center. Every trail has a set amount of vacancies per day (see down below) so you need to go to the PIC center as soon as you can. It can be complicated because the people don’t speak English very well. It’s best to know ahead which trails you want to do and you can just point to them and they will try and help with the days that they are available. I went there on the first day of my stay and they were able to help me with the trails, but they only had availability on day 5, 6, and 7 of my trip! If it is busy and/or you are only staying for a short time you might not be able to do one or more of the trails.
The trails have a number of participants per day, namely:
- Atalaia Trail: 96 vacancies (divided into 6 groups)
- Trilha dos Abreus: 24 vacancies
- Morro São José: 16 vacancies
- Pontinha-Caieira: 40 vacancies*
- Capim-Açu: 40 vacancies*
*These are paid trails.
Tours you can do
There is so much that you can do on the island that I have written a whole blog about it. But to already give you a small taste I will share some of the best things here. Go to the most beautiful beaches of Brazil, go sunbathing, take a tour on a Hawaiian canoe, walk amazing trails, go snorkeling in one of the many natural pools, swim with turtles or explore the fort on top of the hill. There is lots to do.
Why is it so expensive to come and stay in Fernando de Noronha
Okay, it really is expensive to come here. The island is limited in its visitors, to make sure there is no overcrowding but this also drives the prices up for the airplane tickets. There are only 2 airlines flying there, Azul and Latam. You need to pay the island tax and the National Park fee which are there to protect the island and its nature. Everything has to be imported by plane or by container ship, things like food, construction materials and lots more. Cars, motorcycles and bikes are all imported, just like clothes and souvenirs. There are some souvenirs that are made locally but not a lot. The prices for tours on the island are a bit higher than the rest of Brazil, but not a lot. Something that I didn’t think about was the trash. They actually need to export it back to the mainland because it can not be processed there. Most people don’t own snorkeling or scuba equipment so you can rent it here. And so, with all these reasons you can imagine why it’s so expensive to come here.
When to go to Fernando de Noronha
Fernando has 2 seasons; dry and rainy. The dry season is from September to March and the wet season is from April to July. If you have paid attention you might have missed the month August and that’s because that’s the month that the wind changes. The sea is super rough and you need to be careful because weird items will fly through the air during this time. The best time is the dry season but you can go during the rainy season. It’s still hot and you can do most tours and trails but it might not look as beautiful because of the clouded skies. The sea will be most calm in September and October but the sea can be a bit more unclear which makes it difficult to see the sea wildlife.
Anyway Fernando is still a tropical island in the middle of the ocean and that’s why weather can change very easily.
Where to stay and where to eat
Finding a budget accommodation can be really nice. Casa Silveira NORONHA is a good option. This budget option is very central and you are able to cook your own meals if you want to. It is older but it is clean, you have your own room and bathroom and there is a (shared) area where you can sit and eat. There are some hostels where you share rooms but this place is nice because you have a room to yourself.
There are lots of Pausada’s, family owned hotels and this medium budget option is really nice: Martinelli residence. I love the style of the rooms a lot, really a tropical island vibe. It is in the middle of the city center of the little town, so it’s easy to go to different places on the island. There is a very small kitchen where you can make breakfast because it’s not included.
If you have a bit more money to spend I highly recommend Noronha 350. It really is a great place with beautiful decks where you can relax and enjoy the view. Breakfast is always good and there are lots of options and they even make eggs and tapioca pancakes to order. There are some staff members that speak English which is really nice! The rooms are decorated in a tropical style and are provided with a seating area. It’s close to the airport and a bit farther away from the city center and because of that is very peaceful.
I know this is a lot of information but I hope it helped you to understand more about the island and what to expect. There is lots to discover here and I highly recommend that you do your research to get the most out of your trip. If you have any questions or if you want to share your tips, please leave them in the comment section down below.
Is the island of Fernando de Noronha accessible for wheelchair users?
Tours*
The island is not prepared for wheelchair users or people with mobility problems. The pathways are uneven and have uneven stairs. Tours, like going on a big boat, you could do but it’s not very comfortable and with rough seas it is dangerous.
Café’s and restaurants
The cafe’s and restaurant are a lot of the time on a slope which means there are stairs or a steep path. So most places are not accessible for wheelchairs.
Public transport
The bus has some stairs to get into and the bus doesn’t have a ramp. The bus stops are on steep roads so that also makes it hard to climb in sometimes. You could take taxi’s here if you have a collapsible one.
Toilets
Unfortunately there are almost no toilets that are accessible.
*And other attractions
Items I love while traveling
Baseball cap for ponytail or bun
One of my biggest wins in terms of sun protection are hats and baseball caps. But I have a lot of hair and with this baseball cap I can finally wear my hair in a bun or high ponytail. Win-win!
Sun hat for ponytail or bun
On days where I want to look a bit more put together I use this great sun hat, also with a whole for my bun or pony tail. Love it!!!
Snorkel mask
This snorkel mask isn’t the smallest but it’s really good quality and you will not have any trouble with any water coming in. Really awesome for when you are in tropical places.